The Space Bar
The Space Bar | |
---|---|
Graphic adventure | |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
The Space Bar is a 1997
The Space Bar was conceived and directed by
The game was a commercial flop, and Meretzky has described its sales performance as possibly the biggest disappointment of his career. Critics highlighted The Space Bar's extensive content and number of puzzles, and regularly noted its difficulty. Some praised it as a welcome return to its genre's roots, although Computer Gaming World found the game poorly designed and needlessly abstruse. The Space Bar became the second and final title released by Boffo Games, which folded in fall 1997. Steve Meretzky later joined WorldWinner to become a developer of casual games.
Gameplay and plot
The Space Bar is a
The Space Bar is a work of
The core gameplay of The Space Bar occurs through Alias Node's Empathy Telepathy power.[6][5] Activated when the protagonist establishes an emotional connection with another character,[3] it inserts the player into the target's mind to live out its memories. Eight of these vignettes are included,[2] with estimated lengths of 5–10 hours per segment.[5] The Space Bar's structure and puzzles change to suit each alien.[2] For example, the blind Auditon creature must navigate by sound; objects in the game world are invisible until they make noise.[7] Seedrot of the Vedj race is an immobile plant, and must solve puzzles from a single location, while "714-Z-367" of the Zzazzl race views the world through compound eyes.[5] In the end, the player identifies the killer, Ni'Dopal, via an Empathy Telepathy excursion into the shapeshifter's memories.[7][8][6]
Development
Origins
The Space Bar was directed by
One of Meretzky's concerns with The Space Bar was to create a graphic adventure game with as much breadth and interactivity as Infocom's interactive fiction, which had not featured graphics.[8] He sought to match the "background detail" of these titles, including their abundance of non-essential content to explore.[18] Meretzky also tried to mimic the high difficulty of these older games, which he felt would lead to greater satisfaction for players.[19] He noted during development, "I think it comes closest to recapturing the depth we've only seen until now in text adventures".[9] Believing that an adventure game composed only of minigames would be incohesive, he devised The Space Bar's murder mystery storyline and Empathy Telepathy mechanic to bridge the gaps between the game's shorter segments.[8] Meretzky considered the result his furthest-ever push into nonlinear gameplay,[20] and later compared the solution to his design for Boffo's previous game Hodj 'n' Podj.[8] After roughly four months of developing the design, Boffo began production of The Space Bar's visuals and code in the middle of September 1995.[9]
Production
The Space Bar was created with the BAGEL ("Boffo Adventure Game Engine and Libraries") engine, which was designed to advance technological and interface ideas that Steve Meretzky had enjoyed in Activision's
Ron Cobb worked as The Space Bar's concept artist and art director,
Calling Cobb "something of a perfectionist", Meretzky described a moment when the final graphics for the Marmali race were first delivered; their number of toes was inconsistent, as Cobb's concept art had left this element vague. Cobb composed a rough model sheet to clarify the issue, and the graphics were revised.[22] Meretzky later considered his collaboration with Cobb "one of the real thrills of my career".[8] Mike Dornbrook, discussing the decision to choose Rocket Science for The Space Bar, said in 1998 that he believed "Steve was right about what Ron could contribute to the game".[11]
The Space Bar was initially developed alongside several other titles at Boffo, including projects with
During early 1996, a rumor about Rocket Science's impending closure spread within the game industry.
The Space Bar was the largest production of Meretzky's career at the time, with a team size and budget bigger than any of his previous games.[8] He noted during development, "I've never worked this hard on a game before, or put so much of myself into it."[20] Its development lasted roughly 18 months[11] and its cost surpassed that of Hodj 'n' Podj—originally his most expensive project—more than twofold. However, Meretzky later remarked that The Space Bar still cost less than many of the era's other adventure games, and that "Boffo was a pretty lean operation". Budget limitations led to a number of excised features and cost-cutting measures, and became "extremely stressful" for the team. "[I]n terms of what we wanted to do versus what we could afford to do, it was actually my most financially tight project", Meretzky said. He gave the example that an on-screen character for the PDA interface was removed to save money.[8] Additions to The Space Bar's script were made throughout development,[9] including a significant portion in the beta test phase, for which the team was unable to record new voice-over. Ultimately, Boffo included the beta-era dialogue as silent text.[5]
Switch to SegaSoft and release
As 1996 progressed, The Space Bar was pushed back to an October release in the United States, and translation efforts got underway for its international versions. Steve Meretzky said that Rocket Science Games' European partner company would be "marketing heavily in Europe."
Estimated in PC Gamer US's September 1996 issue as three-fourths complete and on track for October,
The first advertisements for The Space Bar, circulated in early 1997, were done in a
Reception
Publication | Score |
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GameSpot | 7.7/10[2] |
Next Generation | [42] |
PC Gamer (US) | 90%[15] |
Computer Games Strategy Plus | [5] |
Macworld | [41] |
CNET Gamecenter | [7] |
The Space Bar was a commercial flop.[16] The editors of Computer Gaming World noted that it was "one of the year's best adventures, but, unfortunately, it never seemed to find an audience (call it the curse of Rocket Science)."[43] Steve Meretzky later summarized that it "sold like bat guano", and described its commercial performance as possibly the biggest disappointment of his career.[16] Noting that "the mentality of gamers had definitely changed" since the 1980s, Meretzky also expressed regret over his decision to make The Space Bar extremely difficult. He characterized this move as the most major design mistake of his career by 2000.[19] However, both Mike Dornbrook and Meretzky were pleased with the game's critical reception.[11][16] In 2011, Adventure Gamers named The Space Bar the 98th-best adventure game of all time.[44]
CNET Gamecenter's Barry Brenesal enjoyed the game's visuals, humor, puzzles and Empathy Telepathy sequences, but noted that The Space Bar "is not the end all of adventure games." He agreed with Rausch's and Scorpia's assessments of the puzzles: the game features "arguably ... a greater density of sheer fiendishness than anything else on the market".[7] In Computer Games Strategy Plus, Cindy Yans similarly praised the game as "a puzzle parfait from heaven", with an unusually extensive amount of content. Despite sharing Brenesal's admiration for the visuals, she broke with him on the quality of its animation, particularly the lack of lip sync,[5][7] and agreed with Rausch on the spotty voice-over.[5] As with Brenesal, Rausch and Scorpia,[15][6][7] she noted the game's high level of difficulty: "Meretzky has constructed the most devious set of puzzles you're likely to encounter anywhere (with few exceptions)", Yans wrote.[5] As a result, she echoed the latter two reviewers in recommending The Space Bar primarily to experienced adventure game players.[5][6][15]
Steve Smith of GameSpot called The Space Bar's humor "tedious" and immature, and its art direction "uninspired and bland", despite Cobb's involvement.[2] While Rausch found the character design "good, if a bit simplistic",[15] Smith described the designs as "sterile and underdone". However, Smith still recommended the game, and praised its puzzle design and level of interactivity as a revival of earlier adventure game design.[2] Next Generation's reviewer disagreed, calling The Space Bar's world non-interactive to a "frustrating" degree, and criticizing the design of certain puzzles. The reviewer liked its comedy and Empathy Telepathy mechanic, however, and concluded, "If you're a fan of Steve Meretzky, you might be slightly disappointed, but not by much."[42] Summarizing the game, Michael Gowan of Macworld called The Space Bar funny and found its graphics strong. He considered it "good for a diversion" for fans of the Mos Eisley Cantina scene.[41]
Aftermath and re-release
The Space Bar became Boffo Games' second and final release.
On October 28, 2022, The Space Bar was relaunched in a "Super Digital Deluxe Edition" by ZOOM Platform. The game's revival came as part of an agreement between the Jordan Freeman Group and Boffo Intergalactic Games, a company co-founded by Meretzky and billed as "the successor to Boffo Games".[46][47] Boffo Intergalactic Games and Jordan Freeman Group would also release the game via Steam on March 30, 2023. The game would remain, like all of ZOOM Platform's previous Steam releases, DRM-Free.[48][49]
See also
References
- ^ Staff (July 8, 1997). "SegaSoft Ships Space Bar". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on February 18, 1998. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Smith, Steve (July 25, 1997). "Space Bar". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 1, 1998.
- ^ a b c Verdoni Multi Media (1997). The Space Bar Manual. SegaSoft. pp. 3, 6–11, 16.
- ^ Gamasutra. Archived from the originalon June 21, 2006.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Yans, Cindy (April 19, 1997). "The Space Bar". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Archived from the original on February 9, 2005.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Scorpia (December 1997). "Bottoms Up". Computer Gaming World. No. 161. pp. 421, 422.
- ^ a b c d e f g Brenesal, Barry (June 24, 1997). "Review; The Space Bar". CNET Gamecenter. Archived from the original on July 17, 1997.
- ^ ISBN 1-55622-912-7.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Newsome, Matt (September–October 1996). "XYZZYnews Talks to the Bearded Oracle of Yonkers" (PDF). XYZZYnews (11). ibiblio: 9–13. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 3, 2018.
- ^ a b c d Garneau, Brenda (August 1997). "Interview; Steve Meretzky: Der Urvater schenkel klopfender Adventures". Power Play (in German): 158–163.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Dornbrook, Mike (May 1998). Look Before You Leap: The Rise and Fall of Boffo Games. Computer Game Developers Conference. Long Beach, California. Archived from the original on October 14, 2016.
- ^ a b Hudak, Chris (May 1, 1996). "Space Bar Preview". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 25, 2004.
- ^ Wired Staff (July 1, 1995). "Updata". Wired. Archived from the original on February 10, 2016.
- ^ Sengstack, Jeff (April 14, 1997). "The Making of Obsidian: Maybe It Does Take a Rocket Scientist". NewMedia. Archived from the original on April 14, 1997.
- ^ PC Gamer US. Archived from the originalon March 2, 2000.
- ^ a b c d e Jong, Philip (May 3, 2001). "Steve Meretzky". Adventure Classic Gaming. Archived from the original on June 15, 2006.
- ^ PC Gamer US. 3 (9): 39, 40.
- ^ Kaiafas, Tasos (1997). "The Future of the Adventure Game". GameSpot. Archived from the original on August 14, 2001. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
- ^ Happy Puppy. Archived from the originalon January 17, 2001.
- ^ a b c d Staff. "Q & A with Steve Meretzky". Boffo Games. Archived from the original on April 4, 1997.
- ^ Newsome, Matt (July–August 1996). "More Interviews with the Infocommies" (PDF). XYZZYnews (10). ibiblio: 10–14. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 3, 2018.
- ^ Gamasutra. Archived from the originalon May 13, 2012.
- ^ Addams, Shay, ed. (1995). "Meretzky Goes Independent". QuestBusters (116): 2.
- ^ a b Gillen, Marilyn A. (April 8, 1995). "The Enter*Active File; Spielberg Gets Head Start on CD-ROMs". Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 14. p. 98.
- ^ a b Staff (February 24, 1996). "The Enter*Active File; Rocket Report". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 8. p. 54.
- ^ Einstein, David (February 13, 1996). "Virtual Arcade Games / Play the classics on the Internet". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on November 7, 2014.
- ^ a b "Rocket Science Games Launching Four New Titles into Christmas '96 Orbit" (Press release). San Francisco: Business Wire. February 13, 1996.
- ^ Staff (June 8, 1996). "E3 Adventure & Role Playing Games". Computer Games Strategy Plus. p. 8. Archived from the original on June 14, 1997.
- ^ Smith, Peter (August 14, 1996). "SegaSoft to publish Rocket Science titles". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Archived from the original on December 21, 1996.
- ^ Staff (August 31, 1996). "The Enter*Active File; Bits'N'Bytes". Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 35. p. 108.
- ^ Helm, Leslie (August 18, 1997). "Have CD-ROMances Run Their Course?". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 7, 2015.
- ^ Meyer, Bill (August 20, 1996). "SegaSoft to publish Rocket Science". CNET Gamecenter. Archived from the original on January 4, 2001.
- ^ "SegaSoft to Publish Four Rocket Science Games Titles; Acquires StarHill Brand" (Press release). Redwood City, California: SegaSoft. August 13, 1996. Archived from the original on June 19, 1997.
- ^ Hamrick, Lee (October 9, 1996). "SegaSoft announces lineup". CNET Gamecenter. Archived from the original on December 2, 2000.
- ^ a b Smith, Erica (April 2, 1997). "Future of Rocket Science shaky". CNET Gamecenter. Archived from the original on January 19, 2001.
- ^ a b c Alderman, John (April 17, 1997). "Rocket Science Takes a Dive". Wired. Archived from the original on July 5, 2017.
- ^ Staff (April 3, 1997). "SegaSoft Breaks from Rocket Science". Next Generation. Archived from the original on June 5, 1997.
- ^ a b Hedstrom, Kate (July 8, 1997). "The SpaceBar Opens for Business". GameSpot. Archived from the original on November 11, 1999.
- ^ Hedstrom, Kate (July 8, 1997). "The SpaceBar Opens for Business". GameSpot. Archived from the original on October 5, 1999. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
- PC Gamer US. Archived from the originalon October 12, 1997.
- ^ a b Gowan, Michael (February 1999). "Macworld Ultimate Gaming Guide; Name Your Game". Macworld: 179, 181, 182, 184. Archived from the original on August 10, 2001.
- ^ a b Staff (September 1997). "Rating; The Space Bar". Next Generation (33): 143.
- ^ "Monster Buyer's Guide; 6. The Space Bar". Computer Gaming World. No. 161. December 1997. p. 135.
- ^ AG Staff (December 30, 2011). "Top 100 All-Time Adventure Games". Adventure Gamers. Archived from the original on June 4, 2012.
- ^ a b Shif, Gil Alexander (November 23, 2000). "Steve Meretzky". Computer Games Magazine. Archived from the original on March 24, 2005.
- ^ "Boffo Intergalactic Games and Jordan Freeman Group Present: The Space Bar" (Press release). ZOOM Platform. October 28, 2022. Archived from the original on October 30, 2022.
- ^ Takahashi, Dean (October 30, 2022). "The Space Bar gets a re-release 25 years later on ZOOM Platform". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on October 30, 2022.
- ^ "The Space Bar Steam Launch!".
- ^ "The Space Bar on Steam".
External links
- Official website (archived)
- The Space Bar at MobyGames